The Hero's Shadow
by Shadow's Clutches
Summary: This was created with suggestion from Duskinator about a story Where Dark Link was good. This is what I came up with. Shadow Link/Dark Link and Link are involved in this tale, with slight presence from Navi. I may continue this to a second part, but for now am not sure.


This was created with suggestion from Duskinator about a story Where Dark Link was good. This is what I came up with.

* * *

This man clad in black is always bemused by the chaos such a simple natural thing creates. But he likes the chaos, the rain is one of the few times other experience feelings of chaos and their inability to change things. How he desires the chance to be someone else, to not lurk in the shadows, always moving from place to place. Never finding a place to call his own.

A boom is heard off in the distance, lighting is coming closer. The shadow shrinks slightly. He cannot stand being in pure light, being soley an element of shadow. He wishes he could watch the lighting in it's awesome power. For it had power equal to his own. Traveling so fast, leaving a boom in its wake.

The shadow grinned. For that was why he was here. To make a boom in this town then flash away like lightning.

As the rain continued to fall drenching him, he reveled in the numbness, for otherwise he was always wracked with pain that never ends. Being a shadow, he was connected with a being of light. He had the misfortune of being the shadow of the hero. The hero was always risking his life and the shadow's life in dangerous situations.

At night was the only time the shadow was allowed to leave the hero, in the light he had to remain by the hero, for the light would kill him otherwise. At night, the shadow had a form of its own, allowed to move about as he pleased, though the pain the hero was in still usually lingered.

Not tonight though. Tonight the rain dulled the pain. So he was going to have some fun. The hero would frown on his actions, but he was only going to have a bit of fun. He gripped the shadow Master Sword. The power of its twin was reflected in this blade.

The shadow knew that the cuckoos in Kakariko have an emergency call that calls a festercluck of cuckoos to the cuckoo's rescue. The hero had heard the rumors and had decided to avoid angering or frightening the cuckoos. But the shadow wanted to cause a little bit of chaos. There were a few people enjoying watching the rain from their porches outside, the shadow chuckled, for they were in for a big surprise.  
The shadow found a cuckoo, just clucking away and he swipes his blade and the cuckoos three times quickly. The cuckoo responds with a loud screech that seems to go right through him.

Resounding clucking could be heard all around. The people who had been outside looked all around uncertainly, unsure of what was going on. Before they could think too much about it, a cuckoo hoard was upon them. All the people enjoying the night started to scatter as the cuckoos starting attacking anyone in their path. A couple kissing was broken apart by the rampaging cuckoos pecking at their backs. The man tried to protect his lady as they made their way inside, but it was useless. There were just too many cuckoos.

All the cuckoos were making their way to the shadow, but the shadow did not care, he just laughed. Laughed at the chaos and mischief he created. He now knew that the rumor was also true.

As the cuckoos got to him, he changed form, becoming an insubstantial shadow. He laughed as the cuckoos confusion. Try as they might, they could not find the shadow, for the had become the thin shadow against the ground, for he had become the form he was in when he follows the hero.

The cuckoos were just about to leave in confusion when someone entered Kakariko…

The shadow cursed his luck when he saw who it was. The hero clad in green with the annoying blue fairy yipping in the Hero's ear.

"Why are we walking in the rain Link?"

"Hey! Listen!"

"We need to get out of the rain!"

The hero just sighed as he trudged very tired toward the inn for a much deserved rest.  
The shadow grimaced as he heard the annoying fairy's voice. He never understood why he kept her. But looking at him now, all battered and bruised and soaked. He wondered if the annoying ball of blue was what kept him trudging on his hero's journey.

Both the hero and the shadow's thoughts were interrupted as they both heard the cuckoos cluck in rage. They found their target. They were not able to distinguish the hero from his shadow, so they thought they found the perpetrator. Now they were intent on killing.  
The hero had a terrified look on his face as he saw the hoard of angry cuckoos descended upon him.

"Link! Watch Out!" Navi shouted, worry heard in her voice.

Link hesitated, he was close the inn, a hot bed so close, almost in his grasp. Though he knew he should run for there were too many cuckoos to deal with, especially since he did not want to hurt them. He was unable to run, needing to get to his goal no matter what.

"Link! What are you waiting for?! Run! They will not follow us out of the village, we can come back later." Nave shouted at Link, trying to get him to move.

The hero just shook his head, heading for the inn. Ignoring the hoard of cuckoos between him and his goal.

The shadow stood there shocked for a moment. The hero was not trying to escape, but was continuing on even though there were too many cuckoos. What was the hero thinking?

The cuckoos began attacking, pecking the hero all over, tearing through the hero's clothes. But the hero did not falter, he just continued onward.

The shadow looked at him impressed at the hero's determination, thought the shadow could see it was a losing battle as the hero was tripped and fell to the ground where the cuckoos surrounded his body.

The shadow would normally have just sat back and have done nothing, but something in the hero's eyes before the cuckoos brought him down made him feel a sense of kinship with his light self. He saw a defiant look, like he did not care if he made it, but he was not going to back down.

The shadow had felt that way many times, felt like he wanted to defy the fact that he was a shadow. That is why he made his more human-like form. But how the hero was suffering because of the shadow's defiance.

He had to make it right.

The shadow reappeared by the hero and started slicing the cuckoos, getting them focused on the shadow and off the hero. He managed to get them away from the hero and saw the hero trying to stay conscious, but the hero closed his eyes and slipped out of consciousness.

'Dammit!' The shadow thought.

The hero was now not going to be able to run to safety while he had them distracted.

The shadow picked up the hero while being attacked by the cuckoos.

"Hey! What are you doing with Link!" Navi shouted getting in the shadow's face.

He flicked her out of his face and started moving toward the inn while trying to keep the cuckoos away enough to keep moving forward, though they had started tearing at his shadowy essence.

"Hey… you look like Link!" Navi said surprised.

The shadow ignored the pesky voice and managed to make it into the inn and close the door.

The shadow's essence was weakened by the injuries from the cuckoos, but he managed to continue to the innkeeper.

The shadow had never spoken before not wanting to know if a shadow could speak, so instead he gestured to the hero. The shadow pulled out a couple of rupees from the hero's pouch and shoved them toward the man. The man took a purple rupee and led them to a room. The shadow set the hero down on the bed, inspecting the hero's wounds. After searching through the hero's things, he found a red potion. The shadow had seen the hero use these before and opened his mouth and made him drink it.

The hero sighed in relief, feeling the potion working it's magic.

The shadow had hoped that helping the hero heal would heal his tattered shadow essence, but the shadow only felt his essence draining more. He looked outside and saw that the cuckoos were gone.

The shadow decided to leave the hero, for he was safe now and he did not want to have to be there to explain himself to the hero.

The shadow limped out into the stormy night, disappearing into the darkness.

The Hero awoke from a dream about being attacked by cuckoos and a shadow saving him. It had felt so real, but it could not have been, the shadow looked just like him.

But now trying to remember back, he remembered entering Kakariko village with Navi pestering him, but did not recall entering the inn or falling asleep.

'Navi! Where was Navi!' Link thought as he looked about the room for her.

He could not find her anywhere in the room. He went into the window and saw the fairy sleeping on the ledge, stuck outside. He opened the window, picking up the sleeping fairy and wrapping her in his hat, like it was a blanket.

After Navi woke up, she fussed over Link, worried about his many injuries last night. She told him that there really was a shadow version of himself, though she did not understand it either. Link was grateful to the shadow and wished he would be able to thank him in some way one day.

He was left wondering who the shadow person was and why he saved him.

… Dawn was quickly approaching, the shadow limped onward, his energy becoming less and less as he continued further as the sun rose. He felt the glimmer of light coming off the horizon bite into his essence.

He fell to his knees, barely able to keep his form. The shadow was too in pain to notice a man approaching him.

"Do you want to live little shadow?" The deep voice asked.

The shadow barely nodded, he did not know this man's intentions, but he did not want to fade away.

The man sneered and laughed as the shadow's memory faded into darkness…


End file.
